RIYADH: With the support of Prince Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Riyadh Mayor Abdullah bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Muqbil opened the Saudi Build 2012, the 24th International Construction Technology and Building Materials Exhibition at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center yesterday.More than 800 companies from 35 countries are exhibiting their products and services at the four-day show, which will continue till Nov. 14.Besides local companies, the exhibitors are from Austria, Belgium, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Korea, Kuwait, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the UAE, and the UK showcasing their latest solutions and offerings for the construction sector.Recognized as the largest business-to-business construction fair in the Kingdom, Saudi Build 2012 serves as the perfect platform to demonstrate the newest offerings in building materials and equipment, architectural finishing products, stone, marble and granite products, construction tools and technology, engineering services, infrastructure materials, and security and safety systems."With each edition of Saudi Build, the event has been steadily growing in prominence and scale as reflected by the overwhelming exhibitor response we are seeing. Saudi Build 2012 serves again as a key business-to-business networking platform that complements Saudi Arabia's booming construction market," Zeyad Al-Rukban, AGM, Riyadh Exhibitions Company, said.Al-Rukban said the event provides a dedicated avenue for trade visitors to explore the latest and most advanced construction and building solutions, while facilitating exhibitors to leverage the numerous opportunities in the Kingdom's construction market, which is the largest in the region.The Kingdom's construction sector has maintained its positive growth trajectory as analysts forecast a robust average growth of 4.5 percent from 2013 to 2017. Aggressive public sector expenditure remains an important growth catalyst for Saudi Arabia's construction sector with $ 71.2 billion in contracts awarded by the government in 2011 alone.Saudi Build 2012, which is the only construction trade show in Saudi Arabia accredited by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, is being held concurrently with Saudi Stone-Tech 2012, the 14th International Stone and Stone Technology Show and Saudi Build — The PMV Series 2012, the 3rd International Exhibition for Construction Equipment, Plant, Machinery and Vehicles.Saudi Stone-Tech is organized by the Riyadh Exhibition Center REC in collaboration with Verona Fiere and Confindustria Marmomacchine (Assomarmomacchine). The event caters to evolving requirements and changing trends in stone technology products and services.